Kelly O

Kelly O'Neil - NYC Writer

Kelly is a proud native New Yorker who was raised in Queens, just like her parents. She also lived on the West Coast and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Bolivia before returning to her home borough. She now resides in Sunnyside with her husband (also a Queens native) and their two daughters. Kelly's passions include sampling new cuisines and discovering stimulating things to do wherever she goes.

A New York City public school teacher, Kelly is currently on child-care leave and loves going on local family adventures. She is always on the hunt for the most economical kid-friendly places and activities all around the city, and she shares her finds on Mommy Poppins. Follow her on Google+.

Latest posts by Kelly

NYC Play Spaces with Sibling Discounts

Submitted by Kelly O on Wed, 02/26/2014 - 10:00am

While there are plenty of great drop-in indoor play spaces in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, as a mother of two young girls under age 5, the deciding factor for me is always financial. Can I afford to take both of them without hocking my wedding ring? If the answer is no then I have to move on, regardless of how fabulous the indoor playground is or how stir crazy my kids are.

In an attempt to save money this winter, I decided to look into whether any play spaces offered discounts for siblings or (even better) charged a flat fee per family. Turns out my research paid off: I found 10 indoor romping spots in New York City that fit the bill (make that reduced the bill). So skip the pawn shop: Here are drop-in play spaces with deals for siblings.

Playing in Flushing Queens: Top Playgrounds, Ice Arena, Bowling Alleys, Parks

Submitted by Kelly O on Sun, 02/23/2014 - 10:00am

We finish up our series of posts about Flushing with a roundup of places to play in the neighborhood, both indoors and outside. The area is home to Queens' largest green space: the attraction-packed Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which we've written about in depth before. You'll also find the smaller Kissena and Bowne Parks featuring playgrounds and a rec center.

Too cold to run around outside? While there aren't any traditional indoor play spaces in Flushing (yet—it's only a matter of time), you will find an indoor ice-skating rink that's open year-round, two family-friendly bowling alleys and a library with regular programs for children. Here are the top 12 places for kids to play in Flushing, Queens.

Flushing Family-Friendly Restaurants for Dim Sum and More

Submitted by Kelly O on Sun, 02/09/2014 - 9:00am

Flushing, Queens is famous for its Chinese restaurants—it's got as many dim sum houses as Manhattan's Chinatown. As Queens residents, this is where my family goes for dumplings and bubble tea. But while there are certainly a slew of Chinese eateries in Flushing, many other Asian and other ethnic cuisines are represented in the diverse neighborhood. Large Asian shopping centers like New World Mall and Golden Shopping Mall contain food courts jam-packed with pan-Asian vendors, and you'll find Malaysian, Korean, Indian and even pizza in the nabe's commercial center. Here are our top 12 places to eat with kids in Flushing.

5 Royal Ways to Play Princess for NYC Kids

Submitted by Kelly O on Mon, 10/28/2013 - 9:00am

Most little kids don't need an excuse to dress up. In fact, it's tough to get some of them to dress down. (I've been through that "But mommy, I need to wear my princess dress to school!" battle too, trust me.)

While it's great to put on fancy clothes just for the fun of it, sometimes it's nice to find a special outing to go with them. A few months ago, we shared our ideas for an exciting day out for wannabe pirates. Today, we've got royal suggestions for aspiring princesses and princes in NYC. We covered some of these experiences in our previous princess post but that was a number of years ago and royals need to keep up on all the latest fashions. One thing that hasn't changed much since then? The high prices for some of these destinations. But we've got a few FREE recommendations, too, to make sure your princess doesn't turn into a pauper overnight. So before you pass on those old Halloween costumes, here are five great ways to play princess with NYC kids. You can find more inspiration for themed outings in our Party Guide.

Sunnyside & Woodside Family-Friendly Restaurants: Awesome International Eats

Submitted by Kelly O on Sun, 10/27/2013 - 10:00am

One of the things I love most about living on the border of Sunnyside and Woodside is that we have an incredible variety of restaurants dishing out cuisine from all over the world. In fact, some of Queens' top family-friendly eateries happen to be in Sunny/Wood.

While we certainly have spots serving standard kid pleasers like pizza and burgers, this area of Queens is well known for its ethnic eats. When rounding up my family's favorite spots, I was impressed anew by all of our choices: Turkish, Thai, Mexican, Filipino, Romanian, New American and a slew of kid-friendly Irish pubs. We finish up our month-long focus on Sunnyside and Woodside with a list of my family's go-to local restaurants. Our area has so many wonderful kid-friendly eateries, it was tough to pare down the post to 13!

Sunnyside Gardens Park & Other Places to Play in Sunnyside & Woodside Queens

Submitted by Kelly O on Sun, 10/20/2013 - 4:00pm

While we may not have fancy waterside parks like neighboring Long Island City, there are still some great places to play in Sunnyside and Woodside, both outdoors and in. In addition to playgrounds like Lou Lodati Playground and Windmuller Park, which frequently features live entertainment at its band shell, there's the lovely members-only Sunnyside Gardens Park that locals can join and visitors can explore during a handful of annual public festivals.

We have a handful of drop-in places to play indoors, too, including two local libraries with regular storytimes, a pair of awesome playgroups and, if you're really in a bind, a Chuck E Cheese's. (You may hate it but kids love it!) We continue our month-long focus on Sunnyside and Woodside with a curated roundup of our favorite romping spots in the area.

Sunnyside & Woodside Kids' Stores: Best Toy Shops, Children's Boutiques & Thrift Stores

Submitted by Kelly O on Wed, 10/16/2013 - 9:00am

We continue our month-long focus on Sunnyside and Woodside with a look at the best stores for kids in the area. While you'll find lots of big-name national chains like Deals, Game Stop and crafts mecca Michaels, there are cute, small ma-and-pa shops, too, like children's clothing and toy boutique Tiny You, 99-cent spots stocked with inexpensive party favors and stocking stuffers, and a bunch of thrift shops that are fun to dig through.

The main shopping drags are Queens Boulevard, which turns into Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, as well as Skillman and Greenpoint Avenues. In addition to our family shopping picks there are lots of wonderful old-world butchers and international food markets, so keep an eye out for those, too, if you want to cross items off your grocery list at the same time. Here are our top nine kids' stores in Sunnyside and Woodside.

Ridgewood Queens Family-Friendly Restaurants: 8 Places to Eat with Kids

Submitted by Kelly O on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 10:00am

We finish up our month-long focus on Ridgewood, Queens with a look at the family-friendly restaurants in the neighborhood. While Ridgewood and the surrounding areas are best known for their old-school European spots like the German Gottscheer Hall, as the community has become more diverse in recent years, so has the cuisine. These days you'll find Asian and Italian restaurants next to old-time Bavarian places. And since the neighborhood is home to so many families, it's not surprising that many of the eateries welcome kids. Here are our top family-friendly restaurants in and around Ridgewood, Queens.